SOCIAL MEETUP & TRAINING
For people 50 and over who identify as LGBTI and want to extend their social networks or support a peer.
SATURDAY JANUARY 21st
Southcare Hall, Pether Rd, Manning
10-12.30 pm making friends
12.30-1.30 lunch provided
1.30 – 3.30 befriender training
Contact Rowan for more information: villagehub@grai.org.au 0493 368 023
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Dear Members, Allies, and Friends!
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH
(A short message from me this month as I really want you to explore our Pride Events).
As if by coincidence, Pride Month and Seniors Week coincide, which has given us here at GRAI more than one reason to celebrate. This year we will be utilising the space (kindly lent to us by our allies at the Centre for Stories) for all of our activities and events during that week. As part of our Village Hub, we wanted to use Pride to invite our Elders and our Community to events to encourage wellbeing, provoke conversation and have some fun. Please see below for details of all our events. It will be good to see as many of you there, but be warned, tickets are going fast!
When you have celebrated Senior’s Week, it would be wonderful to see you at the many Pride Events during November https://www.pridewa.com.au/.
The only other announcement is that our Annual General Meeting is on the 3rd of December at 3pm. There will be a formal invite to follow over the next couple of days.
So, remember to “SHINE” and we will see you soon
With Pride,
Michael
Chair, GRAI Board
QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY
As part of its Village Hub project, GRAI is conducting a quality-of-life survey of LGBTI people 50 +years. Survey results will help GRAI to develop services that better meet the needs of different groups of LGBTI elders in Western Australia.
The survey is open until the end of the year and we have had around 150 responses so far… can you help us to reach 200?
We want to reach as many LGBTI elders as possible; particularly those not connected to community and those in the regional and rural areas of WA.
Please share the survey with friends and through your networks.
The outcomes from the survey will be available as a community report and will help guide GRAI’s work into the future.
To complete the survey online, click here.
For a printable copy of they survey, please email villagehub@grai.org.au and to do the survey by telephone, please text 0439 368 023.
MENTAL HEALTH WEEK LUNCH
As part of Mental Health week GRAI held a lunch event to celebrate and share some of the amazing life stories from members of our LGBTI+ community.
Brian Greig OAM, a Senator for Western Australia between 1999 and 2005, was the first LGBTI rights activist elected to any Australian parliament, and first federal MP to publicly acknowledge their homosexuality. Brian shared a wealth of knowledge gained from over 30 years of LGBTI activism.
Brian’s talk stimulated discussion on how much has improved over the last 30 years, but also highlighted the significant issues that the state and federal governments are stalling on addressing, such as: religious discrimination legislation at the State and Federal level, legalisation against conversion therapy, and removing the barriers to legal identity changes for trans people.
Our second speaker, Gilda came out as a lesbian just before moving to the collapsing Soviet Union to study. Gilda shared some anecdotes from an adventurous life, lived in three former Soviet countries in which “homosexuality didn’t not exist”; not an easy environment for a new lesbian to find her people in.
Our third and last speaker was Dr Rowan Brooker who has lived most of his life as a girl/woman and a third of his life as an out-and-proud feminist, pagan, and lesbian. Rowan shared an inspiring journey of moving from a lesbian identity into affirming his trans-masculine self, and living more comfortably, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The event concluded with a healthy lunch and was funded by the Western Australian Association for Mental Health.
CARERS WA CONFERENCE
The Carers WA Conference was held on the 13-14th October 2022 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Kedy represented GRAI on the plenary panel on day two of the conference to discuss the Diversity of Carers. The panel of sector professionals also included: CEO Theresa Kwok (The Chung Wah Association), Chrissie Fearon (Carers WA – Program Manager for Young Carers and Carers Support Counselling), and Clare Gibellini (People with Disability Australia – Vice President). It was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness about the unique needs and issues of the many wonderful ‘invisible” carers in our community.
SPRING INTO KAMBARANG WOMEN’S DANCE
It was wonderful to see over 100 women joyously dancing and socialising at the Royal Park Hall, entertained by the lovely DJ Di. The night was an opportunity to connect with new and older friends and to celebrate the fabulousness of women. A huge thank-you to the volunteers who supported the event, and to everyone who attended and made it such a fun night!
QUEER TALES LONG LUNCHEON
Queer Tales Long Luncheon – Fri 4th Nov
Now in its second year, Queer Tales is an intergenerational LGBTI Literary Long Table Lunch that recognises the power of storytelling as a way of transferring social knowledge between generations.
This year join us for lunch at the Roof Top Terrace at Connections for an amazing meal from Montebello catering, where we will discuss the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ of the West Australian media over the years with Out in Perth Managing Editor – Graeme Watson.
You will also hear some of the unpublished stories about of Australia’s longest-running gay club – Connections.
Tickets available at https://QueerTales.eventbrite.com.au
LGBTI ELDERS GAMES HUBS
Coming up in November, we have the last three games hub events for 2022; one in the Perth CBD, one NOR and one SOR:
We are pleased to announce that an LGBTI Elders Games Hub will be coming to MIDLAND on Saturdays (once per month) in 2023 🙂 All venues and dates for next year will be shared in our December newsletter.
We specialise in laughter, chocolate biscuits and good coffee… we also learn a new game or play an old favourite. There is a game for everyone (straight-forward or complex).
Here are the dates and venues for the rest of 2022!
If you need more information or you would like support getting there, please contact Rowan at villagehub@grai.org.au or call 0493 368 023
LGBTI INTERGENERATIONAL PLAYGROUP
The next GRAI LGBTI Intergenerational Playgroup is coming up on Wednesday November 16th, 9.30am – 12.30pm at the Fremantle Library. All LGBTI people, (both big and small) are welcome.
SENIORS WEEK – NOVEMBER 7th – 13th
LGBTIQA+ INTERGENERATIONAL HOUSING FORUM
Happening on Monday 7th November (2-4pm), this is an opportunity to discuss our proposed intergenerational LGBTI housing forum. Essentially, we want to bring together elders with a spare room with students who need accommodation. We can see many benefits to this arrangement, including company, intergenerational sharing of culture and lived experience as an LGBTI person, and shared support such as assistance with gardening or cooking and learning English as a second language.
Come along to hear our guest speaker, and to share your ideas and enthusiasm!
To book your place on Eventbrite, click here.
BEFRIENDING PROGRAM
On Tuesday 8th November, 10am – 12pm, we will be presenting information about GRAI’s LGBTI Elders Befriending Program.
Since the program began, we have had some valuable insights and we are now adapting the program to meet the needs of more LGBTI elders. The program is going to broaden its focus to include the development of networks of friendship, as well as continuing to assist those who are isolated. Come along to hear some Befrienders share their experiences and for an update from Rowan (Coordinator) about lessons learned and new directions.
This event will be of interest to those who wish to refer LGBTI elders to the program, as well as those who may want to participate in the future.
We will also have a pop-up LGBTI Elders Games Hub and morning tea … feel free to join us for a game and a cuppa 🙂
To book your place on Eventbrite, click here.
TENDER FUNERALS DOCUMENTARY
Tender, the documentary directed by Lynette Wallworth and produced by Kath Shelper, tells the story of a feisty and resilient community group in Port Kembla who decided to take back the control and responsibility of caring for, and burying their loved ones.
Scattered throughout this documentary are stories that cut to the core, revealing why this community have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo. As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum, one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Tender is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life… its end.
The Tender documentary and a crowd funding campaign led by Jenny Briscoe-Hough and the Port Kembla community, raised more than $120,000 to buy an old fire station and convert it to the first Tender Funerals site in 2016.
Tender Funerals have a mission to provide personalised and affordable funerals, and to demystify the funeral process and put it back in the hands of the grieving.
Tender Funerals are low-cost. Any profits go towards providing meaningful and affordable funerals, ensuring that everyone can afford a Tender funeral. A Tender funeral empowers families to have funerals and practices which reflect the wishes of the person who has died, their family and community.
All Tender Funerals services are owned and operated by their local community as social franchises of Tender Funerals Australia. Families are encouraged to use their communities and network as a resource to create the funeral that feels right for them.
There has been a surge of interest from communities across Australia, who want to start their own Tender. With the support and encouragement of Social Ventures Australia (SVA) and Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA), Tender Funerals Australia was established in 2020 as a not-for-profit to support and resource a network of services around Australia.
There are currently two operational sites in NSW and five communities working to establish a Tender (Perth, Tasmania, Canberra, Far North QLD and Melbourne).
GRAI has organised a FREE showing of the Tender documentary
Wednesday 9th November 2-4pm
City of Perth Library Auditorium,
573 Hay Street, Perth.
Please register with Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tender-documentary-tickets-402264342477
Following the documentary representatives from Tender Funerals Perth will hold a Q&A for the LGBTI community.
Download the flier to share here.
TIM GRANT EXHIBITION
Tim Grant (aka pictim) was born in WA, spent his formative years growing up around Fremantle, and later worked travelling war-torn countries documenting the fight against landmines.
While studying photography at Mount Lawley, Tim experimented and practiced his craft by capturing the local 80s culture around him. Times were different for a photographer then; nobody objected to being photographed in the street, and using film meant being very selective with the imagery. Plus, any sort of recording devices were strictly forbidden in the gay nightclub scene.
These images are a collection from special events: The Clarendon Fete, Gay Olympics, Pride parades, Tim’s friends, artists and performers, and selective portraits of Drag Queens, punks and acquaintances.
INTERGENERATIONAL PANEL ON AGEISM
This will be an interesting and thought-provoking discussion about ageism, its impacts within the LGBTI communities, and what can be done to address it and strengthen intergenerational relationships. Enjoy some light refreshments and good conversations at the free event.
You can register for this event here.
ADVANCE NOTICE OF GRAI’s AGM
GRAI’s AGM will take place on Saturday 3rd December between 10am and 12pm at the Southcare Hall, 19 Pether Rd, Manning. All GRAI members are welcome to attend.
PRIDE PARADE
GRAI will be having a group in the PRIDE Parade (Saturday 26th November) and invites all GRAI members and any LGBTIQA+ seniors (50+years) that would like to march under the GRAI banner to join us.
The Parade will be about 20 minutes of slow walking this year starting and ending at Russell square. Please email info@grai.org.au with your details as we need to register everyone to get a wrist band and we can then advise you on the GRAI meeting spot prior to the parade.
GRAI is looking for a convertible car and driver to join our Pride parade event.
We are ideally seeking a convertible that can accommodate 3-4 LGBTI seniors (a vintage or fifties model would be fantastic). The parade is Saturday night, 26th November. It starts and finishes at Russell square in Northbridge and is about 20 minutes of slow driving. If you are able to help, please email Kedy at eo@grai.org.au
ADVANCE NOTICE: FREE BASKET WEAVING WORKSHOPS
GRAI, in partnership with Gretchen Stolte from UWA, will be offering free basket weaving workshops on Friday 31st March, 2023 (for Transgender Day of Visibility) and Wednesday 26th April, 2023 (for Lesbian Visibility Day). More details will be provided closer to the time.
Your views are important
If you have news or views to share that are relevant to making the world a better place for LGBTI elders, contact: info@grai.org.au. We look forward to hearing from you, or seeing you at one or several of our upcoming events!
GRAI’s new contact address:
PO Box 350
Mt Hawthorn
WA 6915
Staff Contacts
If you would like to contact Kedy Kristal (Executive Officer), please email her at eo@grai.org.au or call her Mobile: 0484 639 886
If you would like to contact Rowan Brooker (Befriending Coordinator/Newsletter Coordinator), please email him at villagehub@grai.org.au or call him on 0493 368 023 on Wednesdays or Thursdays (or text/leave a message).
Quote of the Month
‘I haven’t passed my expiry date. I might have passed my best before date, but I certainly haven’t passed my expiry date.’
– Val Fell OAM
QUEER BOOK CLUB REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER
Queer BookClub’s November’s book is The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody – by Australian author Candance Bell.
This memoir is as Australian as it gets and redefines the saying ‘She’ll be right!’
Described as a ‘wild coming of age memoir like no other. Tender, tragic, hilarious and life affirming.’
Be aware that this book covers the topic of suicide.
Copies of the book are available from Crow Books at a discount – just mention you are a Queer BookClub member.
The Queer BookClub meeting for November is on Wed 30th November at 6pm at Connect Vic Park.
BOOK REVIEW
~Fun Home – A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel~
Fun Home was described by the New York Times as “A comic book for lovers of words! Bechdel’s rich language and precise images combine to create a lush piece of work — a memoir where concision and detail are melded for maximum, obsessive density.”
Whereas the Queer BookClub members descriptions ranged from boring to home, triggering and melancholy. This was our first graphic novel and overall the format of this style of reading a memoir with pictures on its pages was well received.
Insights were shared about the difficulty in living in small towns, the impact of religion on families, the freedom of life at college (Uni) and how we share our coming out and with whom. Overall the book received 3.75 Unicorns – which has me rounding it up to 4 as I don’t like hurting Unicorns 🦄🦄🦄🦄
~ David Gibson
🌈 Queer BookClub Facebook Group 📚
MEET N’ MUSE
Meet ‘n Muse (M’nM) discussion group for older LBT women, has two locales:
PRIME TIMERS
Prime Timers is a vibrant social club for mature gay and bisexual men, offering a full calendar of diverse activities to keep you well-connected and enjoying life. Meetings are held 2pm on the second Sunday of each month, at ‘The Homestead’ 5 Mackie St, Vic Park, with a guest speaker and afternoon tea. Other activities include dinner nights, coffee mornings, lunch club, book club and special outings. Visit www.primetimerswa.com.au
OUTdance
OUTdance is the place to go to get fit and have fun 🙂 They hold LGBTI community dance classes every Tuesday from 7:00pm at the Mt Hawthorn Community Hall, 197 Scarborough Beach Rd. Relaxed and non-competitive, OUTdance always welcomes new members. Contact Jan on 0401 700 562 or visit the website here.
PERTH OUTDOORS GROUP
Perth Outdoors Group are mature age LGBTI folk who enjoy a wide range of social activities (not always outdoors!) Functions are held monthly on weekends and there’s also a monthly coffee club. For further info visit https://www.perthoutdoorsgroup.com/
RAINBOW TOASTMASTERS
Find your voice at Perth Rainbow Toastmasters! Develop confidence in public speaking, communication, leadership and presentation skills… in an LGBTI+ friendly environment… Rainbow Toastmasters meet 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, 2-4pm, Level 1, 931 Albany Highway. Contact Tim, perthrainbowtm@gmail.com or 0403 051 081. FB: Perth-Rainbow-Toastmasters.
This month we have a Haiga (haiku and artwork) to share, created by one of our members, Maureen Sexton. Thank you Maureen! If you have some poetry that you’d like to share with GRAI readers, please send it to villagehub@grai.org.au
TOPICS OF INTEREST
Purple Plaques for Remarkable People
In the UK Ageism is the most prevalent form of discrimination. This project raises awareness of ageism across the UK by hacking traditional historic markers. Ageism is the kind of thing we’ve been programmed to fear. Purple plaque aims at recognizing the people who have done extra ordinary things
Watch a video about the project, here.
PFLAG+ AUSTRALIA STARTS NEW CHAPTER IN FIGHT FOR RAINBOW FAMILIES
Long-running Australian not-for profit organisation PFLAG is taking its support and advocacy for Australia’s rainbow families to a whole new level.
National directors Jane Hopkins and Jo Gilbert are spearheading a new chapter in the advocacy organisation’s 30-year history.
PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is now PFLAG+ Australia: Parents in Pride.
They’re updating the name of the now registered charity to be more inclusive, reflect its national focus, foster greater cooperation between states and territory branches, and source tax-deductible funding to create resources to better support families
Published in Q News, 28 September 2022.
Read the full article here.
HANNAH GADSBY SIGNS NEW DEAL FOR MORE NETFLIX SPECIALS
Hannah Gadsby has signed a new multi-title deal with Netflix that will include a new solo comedy special as well as a special featuring a lineup of gender-diverse comedians.
The Australian comedian announced the news on Tuesday, almost a year after she blasted the streaming service for its handling of Dave Chappelle’s transphobia scandal.
“I’m chuffed to announce that Netflix has agreed to work with me on a stand up special that will showcase genderqueer voices from around the world,” she said.
“I won’t lie… this made my decision to do a third solo special with them a little easier.”
Published in Q News, 27 September 2022.
Read the full article here.
Trigger warning, the story in the link below may be distressing to some readers.
HOW A FEMINIST, LESBIAN MUSIC COLLECTIVE POWERFULLY DEFENDED TRANS RIGHTS IN 1970S LOS ANGELES
Casual onlookers to the UK media’s ongoing debate about trans people could be forgiven for assuming that cisgender women and trans people are, and have always been, in conflict.
But this assumption erases decades of feminist history.
Trans women were involved in the feminist movement half a century ago, and while some cisgender women objected to their presence, others embraced them. In 1970s Los Angeles, lesbian-feminist women’s music label Olivia Records welcomed a trans woman, Sandy Stone, into their collective as a sound engineer, forming loving relationships that endure to this day.
Was she a divisive presence simply by devoting her life to Olivia? Or did the division stem from the people who sent death threats and brought live weapons to a women’s music concert?
Published in Pink News, 8 October, 2022.
THE PUSSY PALACE WAS MORE THAN THE RAID
Over 20 years ago, police raided the Pussy Palace, but this is just a piece of the queer women’s bathhouse’s story.
On September 14, 2000, the Toronto Police raided the queer bathhouse known as the Pussy Palace during one of their biggest events, which led to years of activism by the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee and attendees.
The Pussy Palace was a queer, lesbian, bisexual and trans event that would unite queer women, including queer trans women, and others who were not cis men for a night of exploration, play and sex. It was organized by the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee, a group that was committed to creating bathhouse parties for queer women, trans people and other non-cis men. The event took place in Club Toronto, a gay men’s bathhouse, that is now Oasis Aqualounge on Mutual Street. After two undercover female cops infiltrated the space, five plainclothes male police officers then entered and searched the club. No charges were laid, but in the weeks following, two volunteers were charged with Liquor Licence Act violations; these charges were later dismissed. This led to the committee launching a class-action lawsuit against the Toronto Police that they won in 2005.
However, oral historians Alisha Stranges and Elio Colavito—who have been working on the Pussy Palace Oral History Project in collaboration with the University of Toronto Mississauga’s LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory and The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives—have found that the raid is just one piece of the Pussy Palace story. Putting together the archive has become far more than just recording the details of the raid—it’s a way to document 10 years of queer lesbian and trans bathhouse gatherings.
Published in XTRA October 3rd, 2022
Read the full article here.
ELDER ABUSE. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
A new campaign to raise awareness of elder abuse has been launched by the Australian Human Rights Commission to mark the International Day of Older Persons (1 October 2021).
The video campaign raises awareness among people who interact with older Australians about the warning signs of elder abuse and where to get support.
Thousands of Australians experience elder abuse every year, and sometimes from those closest to them. Calls to the National Elder Abuse phone line increased by 87% between January 2021 to June 2021 compared to the previous six months.
“Elder abuse can happen to any older person, regardless of their background, and anyone who comes into contact with older people – be it friends, family, health professionals, hairdressers, librarians and many others – may be in a position to notice signs of elder abuse,” Age Discrimination Commissioner the Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO said.
“Social isolation is a driver of elder abuse, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased social isolation for many older people. It has provided ripe conditions for elder abuse to flourish, while also making it harder to identify hidden abuse.”
Prior to the pandemic, the Australian Institute of Family Studies estimated between 2% and 14% of older Australians were experiencing elder abuse in any given year, with financial abuse the most prevalent form.
Read the full press release here.
If you are concerned about an Elder you can call 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374) for free confidential support.
RESEARCH OF INTEREST
Research on the Effects of Experiencing Marginalisation in the Gay Community
Researchers at Griffith University are exploring the effects of experiencing marginalisation from outside (e.g., society) and within the gay community (i.e., from other gay community members) on same-sex attracted men’s well-being. If you identify as a same-sex attracted male (regardless of sex assigned at birth), you are invited to answer questions about your personal experiences in the male gay community.
Early participation will increase your chance to win one of 18x $100 e-gift cards. The survey should take less than 25 minutes to complete. To participate, scan the QR code or click on the survey link, below!
Click here to complete the survey.
Australians Underestimating Risk and Impact of Shingles: New Research
Medical experts, patients and high-profile Australians are partnering to help raise community awareness about the painful and itchy viral infection, shingles.
The ‘Interrupted by Shingles’ campaign is seeking to educate the community about the signs, symptoms and risk factors of shingles.
Shingles typically presents as an itchy rash, with painful blisters across the chest, abdomen or face.
The pain associated with shingles is often described as burning, shooting or stabbing. Around 120,000 new cases of shingles occur each year in Australia.
Dr Sarah Chu, a GP with a special interest in shingles, says that for Australians aged 50 years and over the risk of developing shingles may be higher than they believe.
“Up to 1 in 3 Australians risk developing shingles in their lifetime and up to 99.5 per cent of adults 50 years and over carry the virus that can cause shingles,” Chu says.
“The virus that causes shingles comes from within the body, so public health measures like social distancing or mask wearing don’t impact rates of shingles.
“As we get older our immune system starts to decline and this can lead to the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, causing shingles.
“This is the same virus that also causes chickenpox.”
Dr Jana Pittman, the former Olympic athlete and now medical doctor, says that she witnessed her mother experience shingles and how it can interrupt the lives of people affected and their loved ones.
“It was really difficult to see my mother experience the terrible pain of shingles for nearly five weeks,” Pittman says.
“She wasn’t even able to wear clothes because the touch of them on her skin would cause too much pain.
“It really disrupted her life – she couldn’t have any visitors, help look after her grandchildren or even do basic things like going to the shops.”
However, some Australians aged 50 and over may be unaware of their risk of developing shingles and its potential impact on their quality of life.
In a new survey commissioned by GSK Australia, a sample group of 300 Australians aged 50-79 were asked about their knowledge and personal risk of developing shingles.
Only 8 per cent of survey respondents believe they are at risk of shingles in the next 12 months, 15 per cent in the next 5 years and 19 per cent in the next 10 years.
The survey data also suggests there is a gap between Australian’s knowledge of shingles and their actions. While 75 per cent of survey respondents say they understand that shingles is a serious disease, only 16 per cent of respondents in their 50s and 22 per cent in their 60s have discussed shingles with their GP.
Additionally, only half the survey respondents (53 per cent) say they believe the disease could have a negative impact on quality of life.
However, up to 25 per cent of people with shingles may develop post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a complication of shingles that can result in persistent nerve pain for months or years after the initial shingles rash resolves.
“Shingles can be a debilitating condition, so it’s really important that people who may be at higher risk, such as people aged 50 and over, talk to their healthcare professional,” Chu says.
For more information about shingles, speak to your healthcare professional and/or click here.
Article published in The National Tribune, 4th October 2022
Read the original article here.
OPPORTUNITIES OF INTEREST
Situation Vacant: Bookkeeper @ GRAI
Are you a retired Bookkeeper, Accountant or Finance manager interested in working one day(paid) a fortnight for GRAI?
We are looking for a person with experience in accounts, payrolls and budgets, previous experience working for a NFP would be a bonus.
If you would like more information or are keen to submit your CV please contact Michael Berry chair@grai.org.au
Women’s Intentional Community Hamilton Hill Open House
SAVE THE DATE!
20 November, 2-4pm
27 Fulton Street Hamilton
The WIC Open House is your chance to learn all about this innovative project and meet the women behind it. You may decide this is where you want to live too!
– Learn about WIC’s values and mission.
– Hear from our architect, Michelle Blakely, to find out about the many sustainability/ energy and water efficiency benefits of this community.
– Check out the virtual tour and walk the site to experience how it will be laid out.
– Enjoy an afternoon tea in the lovely native gardens around which the super energy-efficient and sustainable dwellings will be constructed.
RSVP for catering to leahknapp1964 (at) gmail.com
Studio 55 Disco for Senior’s Week
Rainbow Gate: Pridefest Events
This project aims to develop a chatbot, resources and referrals specifically for LGBTIQA+ people in Western Australia that are seeking information and support for themselves or someone else about the safety and equality of the relationships in their lives.
LGBTIQA+ people may experience power and control from their families of origin, chosen families, intimate partners, carers and from other LGBTIQA+ community members. There are significant barriers to identifying what they are experiencing and to being able to access informed and inclusive support services.
Rainbow Gate will provide resources about the safety, equality and/or health of LGBTIQA+ peoples relationships and places to reach out for connection and support, including capacity building information and chatbot to support navigation to the right supports.
Rainbow Gate will also train people working in support spaces (FDV sector, counselling, community services) in the ways LGBTIQA+ people are specifically impacted by power and control and how to work inclusively with LGBTIQA+ communities.
In 2023 we will also provide training to LGBTIQA+ groups and services so they can better understand the needs of their members and the communities they serve, and know the correct pathways to access support.
Rainbow gate is led and designed by LGBTIQA+ community, for LGBTIQA+ community.
Project Launch
Monday 22 November 2022
2:30-4:30pm
The Platform Perth- 3/256 Adelaide Tce, Perth 6000
FREE!
Come and show your support, find out more about the project, hear about our community survey and be amongst the first to get a sneak peek of the Rainbow Gate Resources and Chatbot. Enjoy delicious treats and start conversations that can help inform this valuable project. Find out about the FREE training that you can access as part of the project. Warmly welcoming LGBTIQA+ community, anyone who works in family violence, health, mental health, health education, social services, as well as state and local government.
Registration Essential
Click here to register.
Rainbow Gate- LGBTIQA+ FV and IPV Workshop (FACE TO FACE/)
Tuesday 22 November 2022
10:00am-1:00pm
The Platform Perth- 3/256 Adelaide Tce, Perth 6000
FREE!
FREE Professional workshop on LGBTIQA+ Family Violence and Intimate Partner Violence. Learn how to work more inclusively and better understand the needs of LGBTIQA+ people who experience (FV/IPV). Learn how to register to be part of the Rainbow Gate Referral list of inclusive practitioners.
Suitable for folks who work in:
Family Violence
Community Support
Counsellors
Psychologists
Youth Workers
Support workers
Emergency Services
Mental Health
Health
Places strictly limited. Registration Essential
Click here to register.
Rainbow Gate- LGBTIQA+ FV and IPV Workshop (FACE TO FACE/)
Wednesday 23 November 2022
10:00am-2:00pm
Online via webinarjam (suitable for anyone across WA)
FREE!
FREE Professional workshop on LGBTIQA+ Family Violence and Intimate Partner Violence. Learn how to work more inclusively and better understand the needs of LGBTIQA+ people who experience (FV/IPV). Learn how to register to be part of the Rainbow Gate Referral list of inclusive practitioners.
Suitable for folks who work in:
Family Violence
Community Support
Counsellors
Psychologists
Youth Workers
Support workers
Emergency Services
Mental Health
Health
Places strictly limited. Registration Essential
Click here to register.
Peel Rainbow Community Fair
Peel’s very first Rainbow Community Fair on the 21st of January 2023 at The Greenfields Community Centre (Mandurah) from 1-5pm
This event is open to the whole of Mandurah and the surrounding community. It will showcase services that support the lgbtqia+ community around the area, as well other pride groups. Those who identify and run a small business are also welcome to have a stall. Stalls need to be set up at 12.30pm. There will be games, activities, free sausage sizzle, face painting, DJ and much more. Depending on the success this may become a recurring local Mandurah event.. for more info contact vicepresident@prideinpeel.com.au.
The National Mental Health Commission is hosting an online webinar for people in the LGBTIQA+ community as part of Making Connections for Your Mental Health and Wellbeing (Connections2022) program.
During this online forum, we invite you to share how the mental health system is working for you in general, and any challenges you have experienced that impact your mental health and wellbeing and thoughts about what a functioning mental health system would look like for you.
• What has been the biggest challenge for your community in the past two years?
• What has supported your mental health during those times?
• How will you know when things are getting better for your mental health?
• What improvements would you like to see happen in your community?
Your voice is vital to understanding what is and isn’t working and if real and impactful change is being made in communities across Australia. By sharing your experience, you can help the Commission to build evidence that shapes outcomes for future national mental health and suicide prevention reform.
Attend a webinar by registering HERE
#Connections2022 #MakingConnections
For more information you can also call toll free 1800 220 246 or email
community@making-connections.com.au
If this has raised any issues for you, support is available from:
– Lifeline on 13 11 14
– Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
– Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
Happy October, Members, Allys and Friends!
First of all, a big congratulations to the team who launched GRAI’s intergenerational playgroup on September 29th. It’s a really exciting step for us. Thanks to those who attended the first session and we look forward to seeing more of you at the next session in October.
This month will be a short note. A reminder about the quality of life survey. With over 100 responses so far, it will give us a good sense of the services/supports that our community needs in the future. This survey will continue to run through Seniors Week as part of Pride Month.
Please watch your email boxes. Membership renewals will come out this week. This years Annual General Meeting is scheduled for the 3rd of December.
GRAI has a number of events over Seniors Week in Pride Month. During that week (November 7th to 13th) we will be based at the Centre for Stories in the Hay Street Mall. We look forward to seeing you at one of those events. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Website and Newsletters.
Lastly, many of you will be aware of MonkeyPox. Presently there is a finite number of vaccines available. If you need support please contact one of the sexual health clinics https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/J_M/Monkeypox
See you at a GRAI event soon,
With Pride,
Michael
Chair, GRAI Board
As part of its Village Hub project, GRAI is conducting a quality-of-life survey of LGBTI people 50 +years. Survey results will help GRAI to develop services that better meet the needs of different groups of LGBTI elders in Western Australia.
The survey is open until the end of the year, and we want to reach as many as possible; particularly those not connected to community and those in the regional and rural areas of WA.
Please share the survey with friends and through your networks.
The outcomes from the survey will be available as a community report and will help guide GRAI’s work into the future.
To complete the survey online, click here.
For a printable copy of they survey, please email villagehub@grai.org.au and to do the survey by telephone, please text 0439 368 023.
Coming up in October, we have three games hub events; one in the Perth CBD, one NOR and one SOR:
We specialise in laughter, chocolate biscuits and good coffee… we also learn a new game or play an old favourite. There is a game for everyone (straight-forward or complex).
Here are the dates and venues for the rest of 2022!
Download the 2022 flier to share here
If you need more information or you would like support getting there, please contact Rowan at villagehub@grai.org.au or call 0493 368 023
Come and enjoy a free lunch with us as we celebrate Mental Health Week with LGBTI stories of resilience and celebration!
You can download a copy of the flier here!
The first playgroup session at the Fremantle library was thoroughly enjoyed by the five participants who came. We had a wonderful time chatting and playing. The sessions are well supported by the library staff with a great range of toys and games for all ages.
The next GRAI LGBTI Intergenerational Playgroup is coming up on Wednesday, October 19th, 9.30am – 12.30pm at the Fremantle Library. All LGBTI people, both big and small are welcome.
Download a copy of the flier here.
This is a unique opportunity to enjoy women’s only space, dance your heart out with a live DJ, and purchase drinks at the licensed bar. So dust off your dancing shoes, invite some friends, and purchase your tickets online or at the door!
You can download a copy of the flier here
Happening on Monday 7th November (2-4pm), this is an opportunity to discuss our proposed intergenerational LGBTI housing forum. Essentially, we want to bring together elders with a spare room with students who need accommodation.
We can see many benefits to this arrangement, including company, intergenerational sharing of culture and lived experience as an LGBTI person, and shared support such as assistance with gardening or cooking and learning English as a second language. Come along to hear our guest speaker, and to share your ideas and enthusiasm!
To book your place on Eventbrite, click here.
To download the flier to share, click here.
On Tuesday 8th November, 10am – 12pm, we will be presenting information about GRAI’s LGBTI Elders Befriender Program. This is a great opportunity for people working with LGBTI Elders to learn more about the program and learn how to refer peopleasell as for potential Befrienders and Befriendees to connect with us.
We will have a pop-up LGBTI Elders Games Hub and morning tea… feel free to join us for a game and a cuppa 🙂
To book your place on Eventbrite, click here.
To download a copy of the flier to share, click here.
Tender, the documentary directed by Lynette Wallworth and produced by Kath Shelper, tells the story of a feisty and resilient community group in Port Kembla who decided to take back the control and responsibility of caring for, and burying their loved ones.
Scattered throughout this documentary are stories that cut to the core, revealing why this community have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo. As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum, one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Tender is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life…its end.
The Tender documentary and a crowdfunding campaign led by Jenny Briscoe-Hough and the Port Kembla community, raised more than $120,000 to buy an old fire station and convert it to the first Tender Funerals site in 2016.
Tender Funerals have a mission to provide personalised and affordable funerals, and to demystify the funeral process and put it back in the hands of the grieving.
Tender Funerals are low-cost. Any profits go towards providing meaningful and affordable funerals, ensuring that everyone can afford a Tender funeral. A Tender funeral empowers families to have funerals and practices which reflect the wishes of the person who has died, their family and community.
All Tender Funerals services are owned and operated by their local community as social franchises of Tender Funerals Australia. Families are encouraged to use their communities and network as a resource to create the funeral that feels right for them.
There has been a surge of interest from communities across Australia, who want to start their own Tender. With the support and encouragement of Social Ventures Australia (SVA) and Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA), Tender Funerals Australia was established in 2020 as a not-for-profit to support and resource a network of services around Australia.
There are currently two operational sites in NSW and five communities working to establish a Tender (Perth, Tasmania, Canberra, Far North QLD and Melbourne).
GRAI has organised a FREE showing of the Tender documentary
Wednesday 9th November 2-4pm
City of Perth Library Auditorium,
573 Hay Street, Perth.
Please register with Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tender-documentary-tickets-402264342477
Following the documentary representatives from Tender Funerals Perth will hold a Q&A for the LGBTI community.
Download the flier to share here.
Tim Grant (aka pictim) was born in WA, spent his formative years growing up around Fremantle, and later worked travelling war torn countries documenting the fight against landmines.
While studying photography at Mount Lawley, Tim experimented and practiced his craft by capturing the local 80s culture around him. Times were different for a photographer then; nobody objected to being photographed in the street, and using film meant being very selective with the imagery. Plus, any sort of recording devices were strictly forbidden in the gay nightclub scene.
These images are a collection from special events: The Clarendon Fete, Gay Olympics, Pride parades, Tim’s friends, artists and performers, and selective portraits of Drag Queens, punks and acquaintances.
Click here to register
Click here to download a flier to share
This will be an interesting and thought-provoking discussion about ageism, its impacts within the LGBTI communities, and what can be done to address it and strengthen intergenerational relationships. Enjoy some light refreshments and good conversations at the free event.
You can register for this event here.
You can download a copy of the flier here.
GRAI’s AGM will take place on Saturday 3rd December between 10am and 12pm at the Southcare Hall, 19 Pether Rd, Manning. All GRAI members are welcome to attend.
GRAI will be having a float in the Pride Parade this year (2022) and if you would like to walk with GRAI, please RSVP to Kedy eo@grai.org.au by 28th October.
Your views are important
If you have news or views to share that are relevant to making the world a better place for LGBTI elders, contact: info@grai.org.au. We look forward to hearing from you, or seeing you at one or several of our upcoming events!
GRAI’s new contact address:
PO Box 350
Mt Hawthorn
WA 6915
Staff Contacts
If you would like to contact Kedy Kristal (Executive Officer), please email her at eo@grai.org.au or call her Mobile: 0484 639 886
If you would like to contact Rowan Brooker (Befriender Coordinator/Newsletter Coordinator), please email him at villagehub@grai.org.au or call him on 0493 368 023 on Wednesdays or Thursdays (or text/leave a message).
For November we are reading our first queer graphic novel – Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. This “tragicomic” memoir is a witty, melancholic, and endearing insight into grief, sexuality and a search for happiness. Bechdel is known for her syndicated comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For” and this book has been described as “A comic book for lovers of words!” and “The artist’s work is so absorbing you feel you are living in her world”.
Also of note is that the book has been made into a queer musical that looks at the life of this amazing woman, so expect some show songs at our next Queer BookClub meeting which is on Wed 26th Oct at 6pm at Connect Vic Park.
Queer BookClub is supported by Crow Books Vic Park and Dept of Communities.
~A Previous Life, by Edmund White~
Sometimes the best book for Queer BookClub is the one that everyone has a opinion on… and not all the opinions align…
A Previous Life, by Edmund White was, depending on who you ask, either a pretentious piece of wank, erotica, or a delightful novel that examines conventions of marriage and love as well as bisexuality and polyamory (that’s my view!). It seemed the only part of the book that BookClub could agree on was the repetitive use of the phrase “his big uncut Scillian cock”!
So, love it or hate it, A Previous Life got us all talking and cringing (gay men shouldn’t write about lesbian sex!) and even laughing – all of which is in my opinion the sign of a good book. So much so that the time flew by quickly.
For a book set in 2050, the future feels very much like today, with landline phones and social media and the good news is COVID has passed. Some of the characters provide little nuggets of gold into the insight of human behaviour, which the author then rushes past to the next raunchy sex scene.
Edmund White weaves himself in and out of the story and in one part it seems this book is about how we view our legacy. In his case, his fear of becoming “a writer no one’s ever heard of except for a few old queens” – something that is hardly likely to happen to an author like Edmund White.
Overall the book got 1.9 unicorns and the members of Queer BookClub refused to allow it to be rounded up to a 2 – and yes I HATE fractions!
David Gibson
A novel about love, lust, bisexuality, infidelity, cruelty and kindness, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The writing is beautiful, masterful, and the story told through multiple POVs, which seamlessly switch mid-chapter in a clever-clever way. Two characters that most stood out to me were Ruggero, naturally, and his lover, Edmund, the rest blending together somewhat into facelessness, a little forgettable even. Ultimately I enjoyed this novel, although it was neither an easy nor a pleasant read…
I gave it four unicorns.
Dallas Jay
🌈 Queer BookClub Facebook Group 📚
Meet n Muse (MnM) discussion group for older LBT women, has two locales:
Musers usually discuss a given topic of interest for 1 hour, then mosey on to a nearby café. New members are always welcome, please contact Pam for further information and to confirm meeting dates/times and location: GRAIPamm@gmail.com or 0420 929 583.
Prime Timers is a vibrant social club for mature gay and bisexual men, offering a full calendar of diverse activities to keep you well-connected and enjoying life. Meetings are held 2pm on the second Sunday of each month, at ‘The Homestead’ 5 Mackie St, Vic Park, with a guest speaker and afternoon tea. Other activities include dinner nights, coffee mornings, lunch club, book club and special outings. Visit www.primetimerswa.com.au
OUTdance is the place to go to get fit and have fun They hold LGBTI community dance classes every Tuesday from 7:00pm at the Mt Hawthorn Community Hall, 197 Scarborough Beach Rd. Relaxed and non-competitive, OUTdance always welcomes new members. Contact Jan on 0401 700 562 or visit the website here.
Perth Outdoors Group are mature age LGBTI folk who enjoy a wide range of social activities (not always outdoors!) Functions are held monthly on weekends and there’s also a monthly coffee club. For further info visit https://www.perthoutdoorsgroup.com/
Find your voice at Perth Rainbow Toastmasters! Develop confidence in public speaking, communication, leadership and presentation skills… in an LGBTI+ friendly environment… Rainbow Toastmasters meet 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, 2-4pm, Level 1, 931 Albany Highway. Contact Tim, perthrainbowtm@gmail.com or 0403 051 081. FB: Perth-Rainbow-Toastmasters.
This month we have a Haiga (haiku and artwork) to share, created by one of our members, Maureen Sexton. Thank you Maureen!
If you have some poetry that you’d like to share with GRAI readers, please send it to villagehub@grai.org.au
Contact maureensexton@yahoo.com.au
Instagram Haiku and Haiga – https://www.instagram.com/maureensextonhaikuhaiga/
Instagram Art – https://www.instagram.com/maureensextonart/?hl=en
Instagram Photography – https://www.instagram.com/maureensextonphotography/?hl=en
Art on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/artwithmaureen/
Special Dates in October
Ageism Awareness Day “Successful ageing” is not an oxymoron. As we grow older, our physical functioning declines, but our mental and social functioning tends to improve. Physical capacity and mental speed begin to decline around age 30, and even more noticeably after age 50.
“Crystallized” cognitive skills at age 75 are roughly equivalent to those at age 20. These are the intellectual abilities based on the accumulation of knowledge, facts, skills, and experiences throughout life, such as verbal skills and inductive reasoning. Why …… looks good for their age is NOT a compliment!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQwJNYYlkQA
International Lesbian Day is an annual awareness day that celebrates the L in LGBTQ+. Predominantly observed in Australia and New Zealand, it is a celebration of lesbian culture and identity.
International Lesbian Day is celebrated on October 8. The origins of the day are unclear. According to some sources, it was first observed in New Zealand in 1980 with a Lesbian Day March on International Women’s Day (March 8). Other accounts claim that the day started about a decade later. Be that as it may, the observance has been around since at least the early 1990s.
National Coming Out Day was first celebrated in 1988. Over 30 years later, it’s still in our calendars – but why do we need it?
National Coming Out Day is an annual celebration which takes place on 11 October every year. It was first celebrated on the one-year anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights – a date chosen to honour the bravery of LGBTQ+ individuals who decide to come out and live openly. Although it started off as an American awareness day, the meaning of National Coming Out Day is still highly relevant to LGBTQ+ communities across the world today.
Coming out is a unique experience for each LGBTQ+ person. It’s not a one-time event; many LGBTQ+ individuals who come out to their closest friends and family may later come out at work or school, to their extended family, or to casual acquaintances.
For some, coming out is no longer a big deal – it can be a simple matter of correcting someone’s assumptions about you, or introducing your partner. For others, coming out is still a huge challenge. The very real fear of facing discrimination, bullying, or judgement can cause LGBTQ+ people to stay ‘in the closet’, struggling with anxiety while they strive to be themselves.https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/why-do-we-need-national-coming-out-day
International Pronouns Day seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.
Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects transgender and gender nonconforming people. Together, we can transform society to celebrate people’s multiple, intersecting identities.https://pronounsday.org/
Intersex awareness day is designed to highlight the human rights issues facing intersex people globally, and to encourage visibility, education and inclusion of people with intersex variation.
Activities could include intersex awareness and education within agencies. For example, Intersex Human Rights Australia has a range of resources including videos on how to be a good intersex ally. Agencies could consider developing a gender-neutral language guide to encourage the use of gender neutral pronouns in agency communications.
https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/news-events-and-consultation/events/intersex-awareness-day-2022
As of 14 September 2022, there have been six cases of monkeypox notified in Western Australia. All have been acquired overseas
Register your interest to get vaccinated
A limited supply of vaccines against monkeypox are now available. Register your interest to receive the monkeypox vaccine by completing this form: https://redcap.link/WAHealthEOIJYNNEOS
A growing body of research suggests the retina is thinner in people with Alzheimer’s disease, reflecting the cell loss that is a hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease.
We investigated a group of middle-aged people who are part of the Dunedin Study, a comprehensive longitudinal project that has continued for five decades. We found people with thinner retinal nerve fibre layers (one of the cell layers in the retina) had slower mental processing speed. This is one of the first cognitive processes to decline in Alzheimer’s disease.
The people in our study were 45 years old, which is young for investigating age-related neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s. But treatments and interventions are most effective when administered during the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s and it is crucial to find ways of identifying people’s risk as early as possible. Easy risk identification will also help with clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease treatments.
Original Article Published in The Conversation, 6 September 2022
Augmented reality glasses, ‘Xrai Glass’, you can buy which turn voices into subtitles in your field of view and you can translate from almost any language to another. Xrai Glass costing £395, as it is a UK invention, which is just under $700 in Australia, these glasses actually deliver what Google was showcasing at its most recent major conference called Google I/O earlier this year. The inventor, Dan Scarfe noticed at a family event that his grandfather was sitting on the couch and not able to interact, because of his deafness. He realised his grandfather used subtitles when watching TV, so why weren’t there subtitles in real life? Of course you need augmented reality glasses and software that is capable of listening to what is being said and converted in real time to text, and because the technology actually exists to do this, he was able to create a custom system for his grandfather that he has now commercialised.
The ‘Xrai Glass’ founders say they enrich and empower lives by giving people the tools to be themselves. Enabling the deaf and hard of hearing is just the beginning. It would also enable deaf people to experience radio. Currently, the system is best used on a one-on-one basis but the founders are working hard to make it work as smoothly as possible when you have multiple speakers speaking. It also points to an incredible future where modern life will be greatly augmented with glasses of this type, and of course eventual contact lenses which can do the same thing.
For further information the Xrai.Glass website is located at: https://xrai.glass
This weekend, police officers again won’t march in uniform in the city’s annual Pride March until the apology for historical mistreatment is made. The two organisations confirmed the commitment to the apology in a joint statement on Wednesday, in full below.
The committee of Brisbane Pride Incorporated and the Queensland Police Service have committed to collaborate on a formal apology to be delivered in early 2023.
We have unfortunately not been able to finalise the process in time for the Brisbane Pride Festival March and Rally and while police have been invited to march in 2022, they have been respectfully asked to not do so in uniform.
Both the QPS and Brisbane Pride Inc remain committed to this process which would enable uniformed officers to show their pride by marching in uniform once again in 2023.
We acknowledge the difficulties this process of change can place on members of the QPS who members of the LGBTIQ are also+ community.
In August 2021, the committee invited serving Queensland police officers to march in that year’s Brisbane Pride Festival March and Rally but asked that officers not march in uniform.
At the time, the decision was not made lightly, and it followed a process of having conversations and spending time listening to the real and current concerns of many members of our communities.
The decision to communicate that decision to the QPS, was done as a way to begin a conversation that would ultimately bring all community together to discuss meaningful and sustainable change, and to find ways to actively work together towards that change.
Those conversations have continued over the past 12 months. Both organisations agree that a formal apology by the police is one of the steps that is needed for us to move forward for a positive future.
Article Published in QNews, 21 September, 2022
You can read the original article here.
Australia’s LGBTIQ+ population continues to experience stigma-related harm and faces numerous social and health-related burdens, including adverse physical and mental health challenges, poverty, and unstable housing or homelessness. This brief summary of research around LGBTIQ+ housing features risk factors for homelessness and the importance of social networks as a protective measure and a source of support.
LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to experience homelessness than straight people. According to results from the Private Lives 3 survey, around 22% of LGBTIQ+ participants experienced homelessness.
The Out of the Closet, Out of Options report features the results of 228 surveys exploring current housing circumstances for older LGBTI people in Victoria. “Importantly, many LGBTI older people do not recognise they are at risk or, by definition, experiencing homelessness and are unaware of support services available. For instance, living alone and being unable to pay the rent or mortgage places you at risk of homelessness. Our survey showed over 33% of LGBTI older people living in rental properties are unable to afford their rent, of this group, almost half live alone and of those who own their home with a mortgage, over 48% are concerned about their housing in the future. Yet they did not identify as being at risk of homelessness” (Housing for the Aged Action Group in Victoria 2020:18).
Risk factors for the homelessness of older people often result from experiences of stigma, homophobia, prejudice, and discrimination that accumulate across the life course. There are shreds of evidence in the international literature around the precarity of older LGBTIQ+ peoples’ housing situations and risk factors associated with this, including:
Graph 1
Source: Hill, A. O., Bourne, A., McNair, R., Carman, M. & Lyons, A. (2020). Private Lives 3: The health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people in Australia. ARCSHS Monograph Series No. 122. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University.
Research finds that LGBTIQ+ people declaring that they have secure housing are also more likely to report having people to rely on and being well-connected to the community, which is an essential source of social support for LGBTIQ+ people of all ages. However, families of choice and personal social support network members tend to be unigenerational, meaning that as LGBTIQ+ people age, so too do their families of choice, often resulting in networks that have reduced capacity to provide support, as members might start experiencing decreasing health and increased care needs at a similar period of time (Bloemen et al., 2019).
National and international intergenerational/multigenerational housing models are proven to increase the sense of stable housing and increase social support of co-residents, including younger and older LGBTIQ+ generations. For example, the Lebensort Vielfalt is a home with 24 flats for intergenerational living in Berlin, with a focus on older gay men (Lebensort Vielfalt).
GRAI’s Quality of Life Survey includes questions on our LGBTI elders and their social networks, social support, housing security and financial wellbeing. Your answers to these questions will help GRAI to identify those in our communities with housing issues, and will give GRAI the ability to apply for funding for research and projects designed to address the housing needs of our LGBTI+ elders.
You can complete the survey here.
References
Sabia, J., & Wooden, M. (2015). Sexual Identity, Earnings, and Labour Market Dynamics: New Evidence from Longitudinal Data in Australia”, Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 8/15
https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/downloads/working-paper-series/wp2015n08.pdf
McNair, R., Andrews, C., Parkinson, S., Dempsey, D. (2017). LGBTQ Homelessness: Risks, Resilience, and Access to Services in Victoria. GALFA LGBTQ Homelessness Research Project (Final Report).
https://www.lgbtihomeless.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LGBTQ-Homelessness-project-Final-report-September-2017-Final_.pdf
Fraser, B., Pierse, N., Chisholm, E., & Cook, H. (2019). LGBTIQ+ Homelessness: A Review of the Literature. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 16(15), 2677.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6695950/
Alba, B., Lyons, A., Waling, A., et al. (2019). Demographic and Psychosocial Predictors of Housing Security in Older Lesbian and Gay Australians. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 89(1):57-76. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0091415019843449
Citation: Krzyzowski, L and Brooker, R. (2022). GRAI Research Summary #1: LGBTQI+ Housing, Homelessness, and Social Support. Perth WA: GLBTI Rights in Ageing, Inc (GRAI).
Considering Older Women’s Housing Needs Through an Architectural Perspective
A winner in the 2022 Good Design Awards.
A Design Guide for Older Women’s Housing addresses a gap in research that considers older women’s housing needs through an architectural perspective and is focused on the importance of placing women at the centre of the design process by involving them in conversations about housing types and spatial arrangements.
You can read more about this research here.
The next online information session for the Kyloring Housing Co-operative is being held next Tuesday the 4th of October 2022. Bring your questions.
Are you interested in living in a housing co-operative? If so, we have two opportunities that may be suitable for those willing to live in accordance with the co-operative values, and who will contribute to the management of the Co-operative and their homes. This includes taking part in meetings, organising maintenance, bookkeeping and tenant selection.
Don’t worry if you don’t already have these skills as you will be provided with training and support.
The 1st opportunity is for a mature woman to live with two other mature woman in a 4 bedroom house in North Perth.
The 2nd opportunity is for three people to rent a single storey, three bedroom villa, which is in Yokine.
All of the homes are within walking distance to shops and public transport and are available to people who qualify for social housing.
Both of this opportunities are available to move into following attendance at the Co-op’s next meeting, which is scheduled for the 23rd of October 2022.
To apply, email admin@co-operationhousing.org.au and request an application form.
SAVE THE DATE!
20 November, 2-4pm
27 Fulton Street Hamilton Hill
The WIC Open House is your chance to learn all about this innovative project and meet the women behind it. You may decide this is where you want to live too!
– Learn about WIC’s values and mission.
– Hear from our architect, Michelle Blakely, to find out about the many sustainability/ energy and water efficiency benefits of this community.
– Check out the virtual tour and walk the site to experience how it will be laid out.
– Enjoy an afternoon tea in the lovely native gardens around which the super energy-efficient and sustainable dwellings will be constructed.
RSVP for catering to leahknapp1964 (at) gmail.com
Petition is open for electronic signatures until 13th October
To the President and Members of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned …
While we welcome the government’s recent announcement regarding the review of the Equal Opportunity Act, we remain deeply concerned that the rights of LGBTIQA+ Western Australians have fallen behind the rights of LGBTIQA+ people in other Australian States.
This is causing preventable harm and disadvantage to Western Australians.
We call on the Legislative Council to inform itself of these impacts, and accordingly amend Western Australia’s laws, including by legislating to:
– In consultation with the LGBTIQA+ community, implement the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission’s review of the Equal Opportunity Act (Project 111) in a timely manner to update anti-discrimination protections for LGBTIQA+ people,
– Abolish the Gender Reassignment Board and ensure trans and gender diverse people can easily update their birth certificates for legal gender recognition, without the need for surgery or other invasive treatments,
– Implement comprehensive protections against conversion practices that seek to change or suppress gender identity sexual orientation or gender identity in line with the SOGICE Survivor Statement, including the civil response scheme and support for survivors,
– Stop deferrable medical interventions on people born with intersex variations without the informed consent of that person, in line with the Darlington Statement,
– Create equality of surrogacy access for LGBTIQA+ people, particularly men and non-binary people,
– Ensure whole of government inclusion in laws and policies to address social, economic, and health inequality, with clear accountability to the community.
And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray.
Click here to sign the petition
Consumers, carers, clinicians and community working together. Summit registrations now open!
We are delighted to announce that registrations are NOW OPEN for Doing Death Differently, the 2022 Palliative Care Summit for Western Australia to be held on Thursday 24 November 2022 at Optus Stadium.
Doing Death Differently will bring together palliative care, aged care and community service professionals, researchers, volunteers, policy makers, students, carers and community members to discuss future priorities for quality palliative care in WA.
The critical role of carers, families, aged care providers and community, including the compassionate community approach, will be highlighted at the Summit. Attendees will be given the opportunity to actively participate in personal reflections and conversations about dying, death, grief and loss.
Registration
Attendance at Doing Death Differently can be in-person or online via Zoom.
Thanks to funding from WA Health’s End-of-life Care Program, Doing Death Differently is free to attend.
For this year’s summit, participants attending in person have a choice to attend the:
To assist with catering, please select only ONE of the above options when registering.
Please register HERE.
Speakers
We are pleased to announce the summit will be formally opened by the Hon Amber Jade Sanderson, Minister for Health; Mental Health, and will include significant contributions from:
Format
The full program will be announced very soon and will be available on our website. In the meantime, we can confirm the format combines presentations from national and international speakers, Q&A opportunities, as well as interactive activities including a Death Café and an Advance Care Planning workshop. There will also be a range of short ‘snapshots’ where clinical and non-clinical emerging innovations in palliative care in WA will be shared. For more information on participating in the emerging innovations session please go to our website.
Host and sponsors
Doing Death Differently is organised by Palliative Care WA and funded by WA Health. In addition to sponsorship from Richard Lockwood, the summit is also kindly supported by a number of other sponsors who will be announced soon.
Doing Death Differently provides all palliative care stakeholders with a wonderful opportunity to learn, explore, network, be inspired and have your voices heard. Please share among your networks.
Have you heard of Pets of Older Persons (POOPS)?
POOPS is a volunteer run, not for profit organisation that provides a fee-free pet care service for pet owners who are elderly or have a disability. POOPS have been carrying out their mission of ‘Keeping people and pets together’ since 2010.
Today they support clients in the Greater Perth Metro area and Busselton.
POOPS believe that no one should have to give their pets up due to age, disability or poor health and this valuable organisation relies on volunteers to work with clients to ensure people and their pets can stay together for as long as possible. Their generous volunteers form ongoing relationships with their clients.
Eligibility POOPS clients are pet owners who are over the age of 65, palliative care patients of any age, or people with disabilities who need assistance with caring for their beloved pets and are unable to pay for support. They also offer discounts to clients for grooming, boarding facilities and vet costs. If you would like to volunteer, or if someone you know would benefit from the services POOPs provide, please click here https://www.poopswa.org.au/ to find out more or call 1300 110 092.
To learn more about volunteering for POOPS go to https://www.poopswa.org.au/volunteers/
Researchers at ARCSHS (in collaboration with Macquarie University the Australian GBLTQI+ Multicultural Council, and the Brave Network) are conducting a nation-wide survey exploring LGBTQA+ Australians experiences with religion and faith. We are interested in hearing about a range of experiences, including participation in organized religion, personal relationships with spirituality and faith, engaging with faith-based organisations (such as religious schools), and experiences with conversion practices. We also want to hear form people who are not religious! To participate, you must be at least 18, identify as LGBTQA+ (or as being either a sexual minority or gender diverse), and live in Australia.
Please note: You do NOT need to be religious to participate. We are interested in positive and negative experiences with religion.
To participate in this survey and find out more about the project, visit the website: https://lgbtqareligiousexperiences.org.au/survey
Everyone loves a bargain, but many older West Australians forget to grab one of the best deals on offer – their WA Seniors Card.
Even if you have not fully retired from the workforce, it’s worth checking to see if you are eligible for a Seniors Card, as in many states the rules allow you to undertake some paid work and still receive a card.
Getting a non-means tested Seniors Card gives you access to valuable concessions on transport costs and discounts from participating businesses for a wide range of goods and services.
To help you make the most of this valuable free scheme, check out SuperGuide’s detailed guide to accessing and using a WA Seniors Card.
Super Guide, Janine Mace, January 7, 2022
You can read the full article here.
An intergenerational panel discussion on Ageism Does it exist? Is it an issue?
Saturday 12th November, 4-7pm, Centre for Stories (Pop up) Hay St Mall (next to Kmart), Register with Eventbrite (no cost): https://bit.ly/LGBTIAgeism
For more information contact Kedy at eo@grai.org.au
Dear Members, Community Members, and Ally’s,
Welcome to September’s newsletter.
Thank you for getting behind the Annual Perth City Barn Dance. This year we were joined by Minister Stephen Dawson, the Government’s hardest working minister (who has to the unenviable job of sorting out all the challenging departments as needed!). We were also fortunate to be joined by Councillors Clyde Bevan and Dr Viktor Koh from the City of Perth, and the Mayor of Victoria Park, Karen Vernon. Thank you again to all the volunteers and in particular, thank you to Vic Park Pride for getting this event off the ground and arranging everything from the badges to developing a new drink called the “pink pony”. I especially want to acknowledge Adrian Tilby for his drive and commitment to our community Barn Dance; it certainly has become a weekend to lock into our calendars!
Last year GRAI took a big step as we became one of only 12 communities across the country to receive funding for a Village Hub. This is designed to alleviate loneliness and isolation for older Australians and GRAI is the only LGBTIQA+ community participant.
For GRAI, our work with our Elders (55+) in context shows us higher incidences of:
When we look at direct funding from the Australian Government and Australian Charities, LGBTIQA+ Community Agencies get about 5 cents for every $100 spent to carry out their work (for those good at maths, that’s 0.0005%). When we look even further at the breakdown, funding for Elders does not even get mentioned.
With the support of the US Consulate, GRAI used this year’s Barn Dance to launch our “Elders Quality of Life Survey”. This survey looks at an LGBTI Elder’s understandings of their Wellness, (including aspects of their physical and mental health, or to use the American term “behavioural health’). It seeks to start a conversation about the housing and need for social connection – and how our Elders would like that support. Please see below for details about how to access the survey. We are hoping to reach a broad range of our LGBTI Elders, aged 50 plus.
By asking what do you need, we can start to plan our activities towards making a better LGBTIQA+ Elders Village Hub, and develop a narrative of how best to support the needs of our community into the future. With future projections that LGBTIQA+ Elders will be 15.9% of the population by 2030, we are going to need more than the current 0.0005% of funding currently available!
Thank you again to Dr Rowan Brooker and Kedy Kristal for leading this initiative.
See you at a GRAI event soon,
With Pride,
Michael
Chair, GRAI Board
As part of its Village Hub project, GRAI is conducting a quality-of-life survey of LGBTI people 50 +years. Survey results will help GRAI to develop services that better meet the needs of different groups of LGBTI elders in Western Australia.
The survey is open until the end of the year, and we want to reach as many as possible; particularly those not connected to community and those in the regional and rural areas of WA.
Please share the survey with friends and through your networks.
The outcomes from the survey will be available as a community report and will help guide GRAI’s work into the future.
To complete the survey online, click here. For a printable copy of they survey, please email villagehub@grai.org.au and to do the survey by telephone, please text 0439 368 023.
DRAG BINGO INTO THE BARN
Hosted by the gorgeous Cougar Morrison and feisty Fay Rocious, Drag Bingo in the Barn was a lot of fun! There were some great prizes to be won and folk literally fell over themselves in a bid to win the giant pink dildo (there were also some premature cries of ‘Bingo’)!!!
The weather gods were kind and gave us clear skies for the 4th Barn Dance which was held on Saturday 20th August.
With 800 people attending it was the biggest Barn Dance to date. The smiles and laughter were infectious, as people enjoyed doing the Hokey pokey, Nutbush, YMCA and other more traditional bush dances which were led by the Mucky Duck Bush Band and Outdance. Perth showed us how many talented seamsters we have out there with many dressing to the occasion and glamorising country attire.
But lastly, this event wouldn’t happen without the support and commitment of volunteers, so a huge hug and thank you to each and everyone of them.
Pictured below are two of the key organisers of Barndance, Adrian and Manuao.
Coming up in September, we have two more games hub events; one NOR and one SOR:
We specialise in laughter, chocolate biscuits and good coffee… we also learn a new game or play an old favourite. There is a game for everyone (straight-forward or complex).
Here are the dates and venues for the rest of 2022!
If you need more information or you would like support getting there, please contact Rowan at villagehub@grai.org.au or call Rowan on
0493 368 023
Download the flier to share here
The first GRAI LGBTI Intergenerational Playgroup is coming up on September 21st, 9.30am – 12.30pm at the Fremantle Library. If you would like to interact with little ones, or you are part of a Rainbow Family with pre-schoolers, please come along 🙂
Download a copy of the flier here.
Join us for this FREE training for those working in the aged care sector on September 13th, 9am – 4pm.
Click here to book via the Eventbrite link.
Click here to download the flier.
Click here to download a copy of the flier to share.
We are seeking helpers to support the Women’s Dance in October. If you are able to help out, please contact Kedy eo@grai.org.au
Book here.
Download a copy of the flier here.
Happening on Monday 7th November (2-4pm), this is an opportunity to discuss our proposed intergenerational LGBTI housing forum. Essentially, we want to bring together elders with a spare room with students who need accommodation. We can see many benefits to this arrangement, including company, intergenerational sharing of culture and lived experience as an LGBTI person, and shared support such as assistance with gardening or cooking and learning English as a second language.
Come along to hear our guest speaker, and to share your ideas and enthusiasm!
To book your place on Eventbrite, click here.
To download the flier to share, click here.
On Tuesday 8th November, 10am – 12pm, we will be presenting information about GRAI’s LGBTI Elders Befriender Program. This is a great opportunity for people working with LGBTI Elders to learn more about the program and learn how to refer peopleasell as for potential Befrienders and Befriendees to connect with us.
We will have a pop-up LGBTI Elders Games Hub and morning tea … feel free to join us for a game and a cuppa 🙂
To book your place on Eventbrite, click here.
To download a copy of the flier to share, click here.
Tender, the documentary directed by Lynette Wallworth and produced by Kath Shelper, tells the story of a feisty and resilient community group in Port Kembla who decided to take back the control and responsibility of caring for, and burying their loved ones.
Scattered throughout this documentary are stories that cut to the core, revealing why this community have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo. As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum, one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Tender is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life…its end.
The Tender documentary and a crowd funding campaign led by Jenny Briscoe-Hough and the Port Kembla community, raised more than $120,000 to buy an old fire station and convert it to the first Tender Funerals site in 2016.
Tender Funerals have a mission to provide personalised and affordable funerals, and to demystify the funeral process and put it back in the hands of the grieving.
Tender Funerals are low-cost. Any profits go towards providing meaningful and affordable funerals, ensuring that everyone can afford a Tender funeral. A Tender funeral empowers families to have funerals and practices which reflect the wishes of the person who has died, their family and community.
All Tender Funerals services are owned and operated by their local community as social franchises of Tender Funerals Australia. Families are encouraged to use their communities and network as a resource to create the funeral that feels right for them.
There has been a surge of interest from communities across Australia, who want to start their own Tender. With the support and encouragement of Social Ventures Australia (SVA) and Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA), Tender Funerals Australia was established in 2020 as a not-for-profit to support and resource a network of services around Australia.
There are currently two operational sites in NSW and five communities working to establish a Tender (Perth, Tasmania, Canberra, Far North QLD and Melbourne).
GRAI has organised a FREE showing of the Tender documentary
Wednesday 9th November 2-4pm
City of Perth Library Auditorium,
573 Hay Street, Perth.
Please register with Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tender-documentary-tickets-402264342477
Following the documentary representatives from Tender Funerals Perth will hold a Q&A for the LGBTI community.
Download the flier to share here.
Tim Grant (aka pictim) was born in WA, spent his formative years growing up around Fremantle, and later worked travelling war torn countries documenting the fight against landmines.
While studying photography at Mount Lawley, Tim experimented and practiced his craft by capturing the local 80s culture around him. Times were different for a photographer then; nobody objected to being photographed in the street, and using film meant being very selective with the imagery. Plus, any sort of recording devices were strictly forbidden in the gay nightclub scene.
These images are a collection from special events: The Clarendon Fete, Gay Olympics, Pride parades, Tim’s friends, artists and performers, and selective portraits of Drag Queens, punks and acquaintances.
Click here to register
Click here to download a flier to share
On Saturday 12th November (4-7pm) GRAI will be hosting an intergenerational panel on Ageism in the LGBTI+ communities. Panelists will discuss whether ageism exists and if it is an issue.
GRAI will be having a float in the Pride Parade this year (2022) and if you would like to walk with GRAI, please RSVP to Kedy eo@grai.org.au by 28th October.
Your views are important
If you have news or views to share that are relevant to making the world a better place for LGBTI elders, contact: info@grai.org.au. We look forward to hearing from you, or seeing you at one or several of our upcoming events!
GRAI’s new contact address:
PO Box 350
Mt Hawthorn
WA 6915
Staff Contacts
If you would like to contact Kedy Kristal (Executive Officer), please email her at eo@grai.org.au or call her Mobile: 0484 639 886
If you would like to contact Rowan Brooker (Befriender Coordinator/Newsletter Coordinator), please email him at villagehub@grai.org.au or call him on 0493 368 023 on Wednesdays or Thursdays (or text/leave a message).
QUEER BOOK CLUB
August Meeting
The August book for Queer BookClub is ‘A Marvellous Light’. By Australian author, Freya Marske’s, this debut fantasy novel set in Edwardian England is about manners, mystery and magical sex.
Everyone is welcome to join us to discuss A Marvellous Light on Wed 31st July at 6pm at Connect Vic Park – 5 Mackie St.
Queer BookClub is supported by Crow Books Vic Park and Dept of Communities.
BOOK REVIEWS – DETRANSITION, BABY
Bookclub Meeting
With an overall rating of 🦄🦄🦄 Detransition, Baby offered an insight into the taboo subject of detransitioning — not, as the book makes clear, because the character Ames had erred in his decision to exist openly as a woman, but because it was too difficult to do so.
Firstly, thanks to Tarmon for facilitating the discussion as it ranged from abortion, motherhood and family structures to submissive roles in relationships and passing both from ethnicity and gender perspectives.
It is clear that the author portrays a version of trans people as dysfunctional as anyone else.
Overall, it was felt that Detransition, Baby provided the reader with an insight into elements of trans life that most of us were unaware of.
Dallas Jay
I just finished Detransition, Baby, and because I can’t be at Queer Bookclub this Wednesday (I’m looking at you, WORK!) I just want to stick five unicorns on it in advance.
I admit to being completely ignorant about all issues transgender, so this novel was eye-opening for me. It was also beautifully written; it makes me cry to see the English language used in such a crafted, brilliant way. I can’t add anything more, but I do want to thank whoever suggested we should read it.
🌈 Queer BookClub Facebook Group 📚
Meet’n’Muse
Meet n Muse (MnM) discussion group for older LBT women, has two locales:
The Perth group has, by agreement with regular attendees, cancelled its meetings for the time being. The group will resume meeting at Citiplace when members feel comfortable to begin meeting in person again. Perth attendees are welcome to attend the Mandurah meetings, which are held outdoors.
The Mandurah group is meeting on the 1st and 3rd Sundays as usual (1.30pm), at an outdoor venue.
Musers usually discuss a given topic of interest for 1 hour, then mosey on to a nearby café. New members are always welcome, please contact Pam for further information and to confirm meeting dates/times and location: GRAIPamm@gmail.com or 0420 929 583.
Prime Timers
Prime Timers is a vibrant social club for mature gay and bisexual men, offering a full calendar of diverse activities to keep you well-connected and enjoying life. Meetings are held 2pm on the second Sunday of each month, at ‘The Homestead’ 5 Mackie St, Vic Park, with a guest speaker and afternoon tea. Other activities include dinner nights, coffee mornings, lunch club, book club and special outings.
Visit www.primetimerswa.com.au.
OUTdance
OUTdance is the place to go to get fit and have fun 🙂 They hold LGBTI community dance classes every Tuesday from 7:00pm at the Mt Hawthorn Community Hall, 197 Scarborough Beach Rd. Relaxed and non-competitive, OUTdance always welcomes new members. Contact Jan on 0401 700 562 or visit the website here.
Perth Outdoors Group
Perth Outdoors Group are mature age LGBTI folk who enjoy a wide range of social activities (not always outdoors!) Functions are held monthly on weekends and there’s also a monthly coffee club. For further info visit https://www.perthoutdoorsgroup.com/
Rainbow Toastmakers
Find your voice at Perth Rainbow Toastmasters! Develop confidence in public speaking, communication, leadership and presentation skills… in an LGBTI+ friendly environment… Rainbow Toastmasters meet 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, 2-4pm, Level 1, 931 Albany Highway. Contact Tim, perthrainbowtm@gmail.com or 0403 051 081. FB: Perth-Rainbow-Toastmasters.
The September book for Queer BookClub is ‘A Previous Life’, by Edmund White, described in goodreads as, “A daring, category-confounding, and ruthlessly funny novel from National Book Award honored author Edmund White that explore polyamory and bisexuality, ageing and love”.
Everyone is welcome to join us to discuss ‘A Previous Life’ on Wed 28th September at 6pm at Connect Vic Park – 5 Mackie St.
Queer BookClub is supported by Crow Books Vic Park and Dept of Communities.
I would describe ‘A Marvellous Light’ (imma gonna spell Marvellous with two L’s being as it’s set in England and was written by an Australian … screw Americanisms!!) as a magical mystery romance novel, not a book I would otherwise have gravitated towards. Saying that, the author name-checks Diana Wynne Jones in her acknowledgements, a worthy mention which cancelled out the pointless and drawn out sex scene in the final chapter. Otherwise, this novel was a lot of fun, a cosy mystery set c1905 featuring two gay protagonists. It ultimately ends up an MM romance (NB: fiction with an intimate relationship between two (or more) men at its centre) with a HEA (NB: Happily Ever After). On the downside, I couldn’t gel with the writing style, although there were some brilliant sentences. This was just personal taste though.
Bisexual Awareness Week
Below is information regarding a telephone service Here For You provided by the Mental Health Commission.
Here For You is a state-wide, free, confidential, telephone service for anyone concerned about their own or another person’s alcohol and other drug use and/or mental health issues. Contact with Here For You is one-to-one with a qualified counsellor or a peer practitioner with lived experience of mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. Counsellors and peers use a trauma informed approach to help callers in a variety of ways.
Here For You counsellors and peer practitioners can:
– Listen to what is going on for the caller or the person the caller cares about.
– Provide emotional support.
– Provide information about alcohol and other drugs, mental health and well-being.
– Explore coping and relapse prevention strategies.
– Discuss options and provide information about local services and other resources that can provide ongoing treatment and support.
– Provide support for service providers and clinical teams seeking system navigation and information to facilitate support for clients.
Phone: 1800here4u
(1800 437 348)
Hours: 7am – 10pm, 7 days a week
Email: Hereforyou@mhc.wa.gov.au
Silver Rainbow Podcast
Ageing Fabulously presented by LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and hosted by Maeve Marsden is a new podcast developed specifically for the aged care workforce.
This podcast miniseries of 4 episodes (a new episode will release each Monday in August) will tackle common issues experienced by LGBTI older people, share personal stories and discuss practical tips on how you can better support older LGBTI people.
The recently released Silver Rainbow Podcast can be found here:
https://anchor.fm/silver-rainbow
Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia
A unique new research centre that not only enables knowledge and evidence, but then supports implementation of its findings, is being launched in Adelaide in an Australian first.
Aged care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) is Australia’s first dedicated centre with a core purpose of providing resources and assistance to the nation’s aged care workforce to deliver best practice care and support for older Australians today, and for generations of older Australians to come.
Conceived by Flinders University in conjunction with aged care consultancy firm Wells Advisory, ARIIA works directly with older people, their families and care providers to ensure research is translated directly and immediately into practice.
Flinders University Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Robert Saint says ARIIA is the result of a $34m Federal Government investment in transforming aged care service delivery.
A trans cyclist has been Stripped of her Silver Medal Midway through a National Competition
A trans cyclist won a silver medal in a national cycling championship last week only to be stripped of her medal and removed from competition.
Leia Genis finished second in the women’s elite individual pursuit at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships last week. She was set to continue competing in the mass start races at the championship when she was approached by a USA Cycling official and told that she was no longer allowed to participate and that her individual podium would be revoked, according to an Instagram post from Genis.
This revocation of Genis’ medal comes despite the fact that she was eligible six weeks ago for two elite competitions under the global cycling governing board, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Genis noted that those races were held at the same facility and overseen by the same technical director. “Yet 6 weeks later, now that I am doing well at nationals, I am suddenly ineligible to compete,” she wrote.
them newsletter August 3rd. 2022
Read the original article here.
Polarising, Sensational Media Coverage of Transgender Athletes Should End – Our Research Shows a Way Forward
Given recent and often sensationalist media coverage of the issue, it’s easy to overlook the fact that transgender athletes have participated in elite sport for decades – at least as far back as tennis player Renée Richards competing in in the 1976 US Open.
Transgender athletes have also been able to compete in the Olympic Games since 2004.But in the past year, the visibility of transgender women athletes such as New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard and American swimmer Lia Thomas has triggered considerable media interest and public debate.
Most recently, international water sports federation FINA has released a new policy that will only allow transgender women athletes who’ve transitioned before the age of 12 to take part in elite international swimming competitions. Some have called the policy trans-exclusionary and an “unacceptable erosion of bodily autonomy”.
Clearly, the topic raises critical questions of sex, gender and sport categorisation, requiring complex argument and nuanced understanding of transgender issues. Media coverage, however, can frame those questions in starkly oppositional terms, suggesting there are only two sides to the debate (for or against inclusion) and that “fairness” and “inclusion” are irreconcilable.
Our research, published this week (and in a forthcoming book, Justice for Trans Athletes: Challenges and Struggles), suggests news media are not neutral in their reporting of these issues and they play a powerful role in shifting public perception and shaping policy regarding transgender people’s participation in sport.
Article in The Conversation, 8 August 2022
Read the full article here.
Monkeypox Isn’t a “New” Disease
Far from being a scary new sickness to worry about, monkeypox is a scary old sickness — which is a good thing. The virus causing monkeypox was first discovered in Danish research monkeys back in 1958, and was confirmed in human patients in 1970. That means there’s more than sixty years of established research to draw on when fighting this latest outbreak, which puts us in a much better position than where we found ourselves at the beginning of the last public health emergency. Plus, it’s closely related to smallpox, giving those who were vaccinated against it decades ago roughly 85% added protection now.
Article published in them, August 5 2022
Read the full article here.
Monkeypox Update
As of 25 August 2022:
Please note that data for this website update was extracted on 25 August 2022. Due to the dynamic nature of the NNDSS and active case investigations, reported data may vary from day to day based updates by states and territories. Cases diagnosed overseas are not reported to the NNDSS or included in Australian national case numbers.
Read the full health alert here.
GRAI Elders Advisory Group
We are seeking Expressions of Interest to join the Elder Advisory Group. The Elders Advisory group provides strategic advice to support the activities of the GRAI Village Hub.
Elder’s Advisory group members participate in regular face to face or Zoom meetings and share their expertise and recommendations with Village Hub staff and the GRAI Board over the life of the Village Hub project (2022-24).
Membership is voluntary but we can offer a lovely morning tea and taxi vouchers (if required) to assist people to attend the meetings.
Meetings are at the GRAI office in Manning, or by Zoom, bi-monthly for approximately two hours.
We encourage LGBTI people living in regional WA and older trans people to consider applying.
Please contact Kedy at eo@grai.org.au if you are interested.
Seeking 10 Older LGBTI People for a Paid Consultation
The Independent Living Association (ILA) have recently launched a new online healthy ageing platform called LiveUp and they are really keen to get some feedback LGBTIQ+ elders on the site and how they can improve the information and resources to ensure they are inclusive of the LGBTIQ+ community.
ILA are in the process of updating the site but you can visit the current version here.
ILA are working with consulting group Faster Horses to conduct some user testing of the site and would love to invite 10 older LGBTI people to provide feedback to help us improve our offerings to the over 65 community and help shape the future design of the site.
Participants will also be paid for their time ($120).
The consultation will take place on Thursday 29th September (1.30 – 3pm).
Venue Claisebrook Design Community, 25 Gladstone Street, Perth (click here to see it on Google Maps). It’s 450m or approx 7minutes walk from Claisebrook station. There are also a couple of bus stops nearby on Lord Street.
Please contact Kedy at eo@grai.org.au or on 0484639886 if you are keen to take part.
First Australia-Wide Survey on the Experiences of LGBTQIA Forcibly Displaced People
Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) is proud to launch the first Australia-wide survey to comprehensively capture the experiences of displacement and settlement of LGBTIQ+ forcibly displaced people.
The aim of this survey is to collect information about the experiences and barriers of LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced people in Australia so we can advocate for more welcoming and inclusive support.
LGBTIQA+ forcibly displaced person means:
– An asylum seeker,
– A refugee or,
– A migrant (both temporary and permanent) who is from a non-western country and who was not able to safely live there as an LGBTQIA+ person in their country of origin.
Click here to complete the survey
New Australian Cancer Plan
A new Australian Cancer Plan is being developed and Cancer Australia is keen to hear from the LGBTIQA+ community.
A survey is currently open for priority populations until the 12th September.
Click here to complete the survey
Cancer Australia will be sharing the draft Australian Cancer Plan for public consultation later this year. You can register to receive ongoing updates about the development of the Plan via their Australian Cancer Plan engagement hub:
Click here to receive updates
Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program
Advance Health Directive
The Department of Health has launched the updated Advance Health Directive, this is the result of over two years of consultation across a wider range of sectors and community groups.
The Advance Health Directive is supported by variety of forms and guides all of which are available online in 15 languages.
The resources aim to empower people to make and document choices about their future health and personal care that reflect their values, beliefs and preferences.
– Your Guide to Advance Care Planning in WA: A workbook to help plan for your future care.
– Values and Preferences Form: Planning for my future care
– Advance Health Directive Form
Get a copy of the form here
Get a copy of the guide here
Palliative Care are offering free community workshops in Advance Care Planning more details on their webpage. https://palliativecarewa.asn.au
Be Connected – Learn how to get online safely
This is FREE BASIC computer training and you don’t have to commit to attending very week.
Its includes 6 weeks of training, every Friday from 10am – 1pm
(with coffee and tea provided at break time)
August 26th – September 23rd
Citywest Lotteries House, 2 Delhi street
(Close to the City West train station or cheap parking is available in Watertown)
Trainer: Sean is a student at university studying Internet Technology (IT) and he works at EPITS.
There are 10 generic laptops available for use during the training.
All the Queens Men – Digital Dance Club
Returns online throughout
August & September
Back by popular demand, our free, online social dance experience connecting rainbow and allied communities.
Hosted by our doyennes of the digital
@tristanmeecham & @becreidishere.
These special editions of Digital Dance Club are for everyone – LGBTIQ+ elders, families, friends, allies across the rainbow. All welcome, all over the world.
Find out more on our website here.
Watch our Digital Dance Club video HERE.
When:
Wednesday 10 August, 5.30pm – 6.30pm (AEST)
Wednesday 24 August, 5.30pm – 6.30pm (AEST)
Wednesday 7 September, 5.30pm – 6.30pm (AEST)
Wednesday 14 September, 5.30pm – 6.30pm (AEST)
Where: Online, on your screen device.
How: Download ZOOM on your screen device. Ensure it’s the latest version for optimal viewing experience.
Then follow these steps –
1. Click this ZOOM link HERE.
2. Click the “Allow” screen to join us all online.
3. Zoom may ask to use your computer audio. Click “YES”.
If you need assistance with ZOOM email All The Queens Men HERE
Supported by a City of Melbourne Connected Communities Grant and by Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government Initiative, in partnership with Switchboard Victoria.
Out and Proud Expo
The 2nd Annual Out & Proud Expo is coming up on Saturday 1st October. This is an opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community to check out some local owned businesses supportive of our community. It’s also a chance for local businesses to showcase their work and what they have to offer.
If you would like to come along and see what’s on offer for the day, grab your tickets here: https://www.perthgaysocialclub.com.au/events/out-proud-expo-attendance
For businesses who would like to register a table, there are only 10 tables left! You can register here: https://www.perthgaysocialclub.com.au/events/out-proud-expo-business-registration
Volunteer at the Rainbow Museum
What a life I’ve lived! A free healthy lunch, entertaining speakers on the theme, ‘What a life I’ve lived’, and creative activities to celebrate the good memories and times of our lives.
When and where…
Tuesday 11th October 11am – 2pm
Citiplace Community Centre,
(in the small Conference Room upstairs) Upper-Level City Railway Station Complex, Wellington St, Perth (1 minute from the Art Gallery) RSVP to Kedy eo@grai.org.au
GRAI as part of its Village Hub project is conducting a quality-of-life survey of LGBTI people 50+ years.
We will be promoting it over the next few months up to the end of the year as we want to reach as many as possible, particularly those not connected to community and those in the regional and rural areas of WA.
The outcomes from the survey will be available as a community report and will help guide GRAI’s work into the future.
Visit the survey page…
Full day (9.30am-4pm)
Tuesday 13th September 2022
Institute of Chartered Accountants
Level 11, 2 Mill St, Perth WA
Book your ticket – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/right-to-belong-lgbti-people-in-age-care-tickets-396929596107
Dear Members, Community, and Allies,
Welcome to August and I hope you have your flannel dusted off and ready for BARN DANCE! This year’s event is already sold out, however, we are still looking for volunteers. Please email me at chair@grai.org.au if you want to be involved – particularly if you have an RSA license.
Xmas in July winners were well and truly represented at the GRAI table! This year’s Xmas in July drag queen bingo was held at Vic Park Connect. The ever fabulous Barbie Q twirled the Bingo balls, monitored competitors forcing marshmallows into their mouths, and hosted the fashion show. A big thank you to event extraordinaire Adrian Tilby and the Town of Vic Park for supporting the event.
What has been exciting to watch is the work that Rowan and Kedy have been doing to expand our Village Hub. We have set up board games events in three locations around Perth, and in other exciting news, we have our first intergenerational playgroup starting in Fremantle soon. Please see the details below!
Pride month will soon be upon us. GRAI has been able to secure a fantastic location in the City and we will get a program out to you shortly.
Apologies for my absence last month, COVID and its longer-term effects have hit hard. I hope you are well and hopefully, we will see you in the coming months.
With Pride,
Michael
Chair, GRAI Board
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Over sixty people braved the wild Winter weather to attend the fabulous Christmas in July event, hosted by the charming and entertaining Barbie Q. It was an evening of entertaining Bin-Gay rounds, competitions, music, food, and fun. GRAI hosted a table of winners, with Allan taking out two Bin-gay prizes, Gregory proving himself the champion of ‘How many marshmallows can you fit in your mouth?’ and Karron taking out the best Christmas outfit prize!
LGBTI ELDERS GAMES HUB EVENTS
The next gathering is on this Thursday 4th August at Citiplace Community Centre, 1-3pm, Upper Level City Railway Station Complex, Wellington St, Perth CBD
We have real coffee and chocolate biscuits!
The venue is accessible by car, or train/bus – it is one-minute walk from the Art Gallery of WA – just before leaving the station complex. It is also accessible from the Citiplace Carpark by taking the lift to the Ground Floor and going around the corner to the right, or taking the escalator from the Fremantle Train Platform and going to the left).
Here are the dates and venues for the rest of 2022! We are now offering this event in Fremantle, Perth CBD, and Woodvale!
If you need more information or you would like support getting there, please contact Rowan at villagehub@grai.org.au or call Rowan on 0493 368 023. Download the flier to share here.
FREE CULTURAL INCLUSIVITY TRAINING
FREE WORKSHOP: KEEPING SANE BY UNDERSTANDING CARING FOR OLDER PERSONS
Download a copy of the flier here.
Download a copy of the flier here.
Book here…
Download a copy of the flier here...
SPECIAL EDITION CAMP BOOK
For more information click here.
Your views are important
If you have news or views to share that are relevant to making the world a better place for LGBTI elders, contact: info@grai.org.au. We look forward to hearing from you, or seeing you at one or several of our upcoming events!
GRAI’s new contact address:
PO Box 350
Mt Hawthorn
WA 6915
Staff Contacts
If you would like to contact Kedy Kristal (Executive Officer), please email her at eo@grai.org.au or call her Mobile: 0484 639 886
If you would like to contact Rowan Brooker (Befriender Coordinator/Newsletter Coordinator), please email him at villagehub@grai.org.au or call him on 0493 368 023 on Wednesdays or Thursdays (or text/leave a message).
QUEER BOOK CLUB
August Meeting
The August book for Queer BookClub is ‘A Marvellous Light’. By Australian author, Freya Marske’s, this debut fantasy novel set in Edwardian England is about manners, mystery and magical sex.
Everyone is welcome to join us to discuss A Marvellous Light on Wed 31st July at 6pm at Connect Vic Park – 5 Mackie St.
Queer BookClub is supported by Crow Books Vic Park and Dept of Communities.
BOOK REVIEWS – DETRANSITION, BABY
Bookclub Meeting
With an overall rating of 🦄🦄🦄 Detransition, Baby offered an insight into the taboo subject of detransitioning — not, as the book makes clear, because the character Ames had erred in his decision to exist openly as a woman, but because it was too difficult to do so.
Firstly, thanks to Tarmon for facilitating the discussion as it ranged from abortion, motherhood and family structures to submissive roles in relationships and passing both from ethnicity and gender perspectives.
It is clear that the author portrays a version of trans people as dysfunctional as anyone else.
Overall, it was felt that Detransition, Baby provided the reader with an insight into elements of trans life that most of us were unaware of.
Dallas Jay
I just finished Detransition, Baby, and because I can’t be at Queer Bookclub this Wednesday (I’m looking at you, WORK!) I just want to stick five unicorns on it in advance.
I admit to being completely ignorant about all issues transgender, so this novel was eye-opening for me. It was also beautifully written; it makes me cry to see the English language used in such a crafted, brilliant way. I can’t add anything more, but I do want to thank whoever suggested we should read it.
🌈 Queer BookClub Facebook Group 📚
Meet’n’Muse
Meet n Muse (MnM) discussion group for older LBT women, has two locales:
The Perth group has, by agreement with regular attendees, cancelled its meetings for the time being. The group will resume meeting at Citiplace when members feel comfortable to begin meeting in person again. Perth attendees are welcome to attend the Mandurah meetings, which are held outdoors.
The Mandurah group is meeting on the 1st and 3rd Sundays as usual (1.30pm), at an outdoor venue.
Musers usually discuss a given topic of interest for 1 hour, then mosey on to a nearby café. New members are always welcome, please contact Pam for further information and to confirm meeting dates/times and location: GRAIPamm@gmail.com or 0420 929 583.
Prime Timers
Prime Timers is a vibrant social club for mature gay and bisexual men, offering a full calendar of diverse activities to keep you well-connected and enjoying life. Meetings are held 2pm on the second Sunday of each month, at ‘The Homestead’ 5 Mackie St, Vic Park, with a guest speaker and afternoon tea. Other activities include dinner nights, coffee mornings, lunch club, book club and special outings.
Visit www.primetimerswa.com.au.
OUTdance
OUTdance is the place to go to get fit and have fun 🙂 They hold LGBTI community dance classes every Tuesday from 7:00pm at the Mt Hawthorn Community Hall, 197 Scarborough Beach Rd. Relaxed and non-competitive, OUTdance always welcomes new members. Contact Jan on 0401 700 562 or visit the website here.
Perth Outdoors Group
Perth Outdoors Group are mature age LGBTI folk who enjoy a wide range of social activities (not always outdoors!) Functions are held monthly on weekends and there’s also a monthly coffee club. For further info visit https://www.perthoutdoorsgroup.com/
Rainbow Toastmakers
Find your voice at Perth Rainbow Toastmasters! Develop confidence in public speaking, communication, leadership and presentation skills… in an LGBTI+ friendly environment… Rainbow Toastmasters meet 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, 2-4pm, Level 1, 931 Albany Highway. Contact Tim, perthrainbowtm@gmail.com or 0403 051 081. FB: Perth-Rainbow-Toastmasters.
Worth the risk: LGBTIQ+ experiences with insurance providers
The Victorian Pride Lobby has launched a new report into LGBTIQA+ experiences with the insurance industry in Australia, finding that almost half of LGBTIQA+ people faced discrimination or exclusion when seeking insurance and more than 75% of trans and gender diverse people have had difficulty self-declaring their gender with insurers.
The report makes detailed recommendations for the insurance industry to respond to these findings, including an updated Life Insurance Code of Practice.
Click here to download Worth the Risk : LGBTIQA+
Experiences with Insurance Providers
Half of all Australians have been victims of tech abuse, landmark study reveals
The first-known representative study of its kind — commissioned by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) — has revealed half of all Australian adults have experienced technology-facilitated abuse at some point in their lives.
That extraordinary figure includes a variety of issues and victims: from a man abusing a male colleague online to a stranger stalking someone on social media to an ex monitoring a former partner’s movements via an app.
The research — comprising an initial sample of more than 4,500 Australian adults — also highlights the deep impact that tech abuse can have on minority groups, and women in particular, who are far more likely to experience this at the hands of an intimate partner.
Almost three-quarters of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) Australians, two in every three Indigenous people and three in five people with a disability have been victims.
Read the original ABC News article here.
Anglican Church still considering banning same sex marriage
The Anglican communion’s once-a-decade Lambeth Conference begins on Tuesday (26 July) and, in 2022, bishops will discuss banning same-sex marriage.
The Lambeth Conference lasts for 12 days, brings together international Anglican churches, and is convened by the Church of England’s Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. It allows the Anglican Church to pass resolutions and decide “the mind of the communion” on current issues.
But many in the Anglican community were left shocked and angry when it was revealed earlier this year that the conference would revive a 1990s “call” to categorically ban same-sex marriage within the church.
The draft call, an item which is to be discussed and voted on, brings back the notorious Lambeth Resolution I:10, initially passed in 1998 when bishops rejected “homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture”.
Attempting to reaffirm the church’s opposition to same-sex relationships, the 2022 Lambeth Call on Human Dignity reads: “It is the mind of the Anglican Communion as a whole that same gender marriage is not permissible… the legitimising or blessing of same-sex unions cannot be advised. It is the mind of the Communion to uphold faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union.”
The call received fierce backlash from clergy, Church of England members and activists across the UK.
Despite overwhelming support for LGBTQ+ inclusion among members and the fact that the Scottish Episcopal Church has embraced marriage equality, the Church of England does not perform same-sex marriages.
It also refuses to bless same-sex civil unions, and although LGBTQ+ clergy members are allowed to be in same-sex relationships, they are forced to remain celibate to retain their positions.
The Scottish Episcopal Church said in a statement that “the wording of that call does not represent the position of the Scottish Episcopal Church”, while the Church in Wales, which does not allow same-sex marriage but does allow “blessings” of same-sex unions, declared that the call “undermines and subverts” LGBTQ+ people.
Read the original article from Pink News here.
Monkeypox: Irish Gay and bisexual men to be offered vaccines in Ireland after mounting pressure
Officials have been facing mounting pressure over Ireland’s lack of a targeted vaccine programme, with AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, better known as ACT UP, accusing the government and public health bosses of failing the LGBTQ+ community.
There have been at least 69 confirmed monkeypox cases in Ireland as of 22 July, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, part of Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE).
As the outbreak continues to grow globally, Ireland has secured a limited number of vaccines against monkeypox as part of a joint EU order of 110,000 doses. The first doses arrived on 15 July, but without a plan to prioritise queer men, who make up the majority of cases worldwide.
After ACT UP Dublin wrote to health minister Stephen Donnelly, the NIAC and the Health Service Executive (HSE), it was confirmed on Tuesday (26 July) that queer men will be prioritised for the vaccine.
Monkeypox (MPX) Health Alert – Department of Health Australia
There are 45 cases (confirmed and probable) of MPX in Australia. This includes 25 in New South Wales, 16 in Victoria, 2 in the Australian Capital Territory, 1 in Queensland and 1 in South Australia.
Find out more about MPX
Visit the MPX disease page to find out more about:
Why there is an alert
On 26 July 2022, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, declared the monkeypox (MPX) situation a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance. This follows the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the global situation regarding MPX to be a public health emergency of international concern.
The declaration was made under the Emergency Response Plan for Communicable Disease Incidents of National Significance, in consultation with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
MPX had not been identified in Australia before May 2022.
Although MPX is endemic to parts of Africa, the recent outbreak has been detected in the UK, Europe, northern America and the Middle East and other areas that are not endemic for MPX.
On 1 June 2022, MPX became a nationally notifiable disease for 6 months. During this time a review will determine whether to list the virus permanently.
What we are doing
We are working closely with our state and territory counterparts to ensure a swift and coordinated response.
Public health messaging regarding MPX is focused on making the public and health professionals aware of the symptoms and communicating with people most at risk to make sure they seek medical advice if necessary.
National expert groups have developed MPX treatment and vaccine guidelines. Infection prevention and control guidance for health workers and case and contact management guidance for public health units is available on the MPX Resources page.
Find out more
Visit our monkeypox page and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for updates.
Read the original Department of Health warning here.
Manly release updated, less offensive pride round jersey!
Seven players are boycotting a round 20 NRL match over their Manly Sea Eagles club’s LGBTQIA+ jersey design. The satirical publication The Shovel has a different take on the jersey’s real offence.
Click here to read the article.
Greece finally bans ‘abusive’ and unnecessary genital surgeries on intersex children
The Hellenic Parliament approved the Medically Assisted Reproduction Reforms Act which will stop doctors from carrying out “sex-normalising” surgeries.
For decades surgeons have attempted to “fix” intersex babies with avoidable and unnecessary treatments before they are old enough to meaningfully consent. These operations can often result in a lifetime of pain and trauma.
But not anymore in Greece. Now doctors who perform surgery on intersex people under 15 will face fines and even prison, Reuters reported.
Medical intervention for young people will only be allowed if urgently needed for health reasons Case-by-case exceptions will be made in instances where a young person or their parents or guardians have sought a court order.
Those older than 15 who can consent will be allowed to seek out surgeries or hormonal therapies that change the body.
Read the original Pink News article here.
UK to host Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine
Next year’s contest will be held in a UK city on behalf of Ukraine, which was ruled out from hosting “with deep regret” by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) due to “safety and security issues” caused by the war with Russia.
It was announced last month that the UK, which placed second at this year’s Eurovision, had been asked take over as host during the ongoing conflict.
Eurovision organisers said representatives will work with the BBC to incorporate Ukrainian elements into the show.
A host city bidding contest will begin this week, and mayors, councillors and MPs from several UK cities have already indicated that they intend to bid, including Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Swindon and Wolverhampton.
Read the original article in Pink News here.
Long COVID Is More Common in Bisexual and Trans People. The Reasons Why Are Complicated
Who Gets Long COVID?
In addition to showing higher rates of long COVID in younger adult populations and women, the Census Bureau survey also revealed that trans and bisexual adults are much more likely to report having the disease. Compared to 5% of cisgender men and 9% of cisgender women, 12% of trans adults in the U.S. say they are currently experiencing long COVID symptoms. Meanwhile, 14% of bisexual adults in the U.S. are living with post-COVID conditions, compared to 7% of straight and 5% of gay or lesbian adults. Those rates mirror broader healthdisparitiesexperienced by the trans and bisexual communities — and point to disconcerting ways our healthcare systems may be failing them.
In a world where transgender people are more likely to live with chronic illness in the first place, this may not seem so surprising. “Of course [trans people] have higher rates of long COVID,” says JD Davids, co-founder of the advocacy and policy group The Network for Long COVID Justice. “We have lower rates of being treated as humans. People who are denied access to health care, resources, or bodily safety are at higher risk of ill health outcomes, including this massive disabling event known as long COVID.” Davids has lived with long COVID since March 2021, and has also lived for decades with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a similarly debilitating condition.
Repeated COVID infections may put individuals at a greater risk of developing long COVID, and with LGBTQ+ people at a greater risk of COVID infection in general, that leaves queer and trans communities at a heightened risk for the disease.
Read the original article in Them Newsletter here.
For more information contact Rowan at villagehub@grai.org.au
Perth CBD
First Thursday of the month:
Citiplace Community Centre
Upper Level Walkway, City Railway Station Complex, Wellington Street, Perth
TIME: 1-3pm*
SOR – Fremantle
Fourth Wednesday of each month:
Fremantle Library – The Lab
Walyalup Civic Centre
151 High St, Fremantle.
Time: 1-3pm*
*Monthly until December 2022.
NOR – Woodvale
Community Vision Woodvale Social Centre,
5 Trappers Drive, Woodvale
Monday August 15th, 2-4pm
Monday September 19th, 2-4pm
Monday October 17th, 2-4pm
Monday November 14th, 2-4pm
Contact Rowan at villagehub@grai.org.au for more information.
